Plague
by TrueFallen
Summary: Annabella is 20 and raising a daughter, while living through a plague and widowed. But to top it off she has found out that she is the key that both Angels and Demons will fight over to win. Just wonderful, what could possibly go wrong there?


The silence is what kills you. No one dares speak their thoughts aloud. We all think the same thing here- does this ever plan to seize? Sobs you hear from balconies and bedrooms in nearly every house. Those who carry life mourn for those who have lost who have lost grasp of it. A plague has struck. Corpses lye everywhere on the streets, sadly, the icy bodies have come to outnumber those who still consume oxygen. Everyone is ill if not belonging six feet under in a cemetery, even I. My child, a young and intelligent girl, is sick too and with no cure of this torturous influenza she and I may lay breathless aside my husband. I dare not speak of him quiet yet in this tale of misfortune, for I do not hold the strength inside me not to break down in sobs.

Alice, my daughter, is of the age of four. Brilliant is she, I do know. Her math and reading skills are those of a seven year old, young boy. Oh, how I love her dearly, so if she fell under the blanket of death I know I could not stand it and would soon follow. Adorable round face with bright green eyes she does possess, with black beautiful ringlets falling around it. A true beauty is she to marvel at. The cutest of all is when she is not ill and her face glows with joy, and cheeks rosy red, such a lovely contrast on her pale skin. The towns men say we look identical, aside from my sixteen years against her.

Today I am forced to take her into town, and as ill as she and I have been it terrifies my soul to do so. Though, if I do not we shall both die from starvation. Such decisions I must make daily in order to survive. We have little money, though we are rich. The house I now own is the largest and finely furnished in my whole village. My daughter has everything she could dream of- aside from food in our dining room that is. Food has become so scarce, prices have risen so high that it empties what money anyone has. I would sell the fine, and unnecessary items I do have, if only someone was wealthy enough to purchase them.

Thinking of all this, I went upstairs to check on my daughter, who lay now awake in my bed, where I laid her down that morning. "Alice, darling? How do you feel?" Her face held a tad more color but not enough to satisfy.

"Mama, I am thirsty." She squirmed under the covers and reached her arms up to me.

Picking her up I told her softly "Alright, Darling. We may go to the well in the backyard." I patted her back and went into her room to change her out of her nightgown. She did not whine, nor fuss as I slipped her baby blue dress over her head. I smiled reassuringly to her, and promised all of the chaos would come to an end soon. I told her this, though, I failed to assure myself.

The walk to the village store seemed to contain enough sorrow to fill a lifetime. While I held Alice to my hip I covered her ears. I did not wish to let that sorrow filled lane to get to my daughter, and show her how truly awful our town had come to look. I would have rather die than dare see the only thing I knew I truly loved suffer through this anymore than I could prevent.

The store was silent. Not even the sound of cries played the room. I set Alice down and told her "Stay close, but you may try to find yourself a cup of tea." When her face then lit up for the first time in this whole month it seemed to bring a spark of hope, that everything would be fine. A smile I gave her in return before I gracefully turned to the bread. What then made me turn I certainly didn't expect then, at that moment.

"Mama! Look!" Alice giggled happily at what she saw. "'Tis your friend, Mama!"

As usual, she was correct. Angel Mason had come into the store. At times, anyone who was near him could forget the death that lay just outside the doors. I admit, it was wrong of me to let myself fall under his glamor and wish for him when I was widowed. He was a year older than myself, twenty-one. He seemed perfect for me, and I had known him since childhood. His hair was a deep brown, hanging just under his chin, and matched perfectly, to his olive tone skin and nearly black eyes. He happened to be quiet tall 6'3" to be precise. I knew I had begun to fall in love with him, but I acted how a widow must. I did still mourn for my husband, I loved him greatly.

"Why hello, Angel. Isn't it pleasant to see you today." I smiled a sweet smile and picked up the last loaf of bread on the shelf.

Angel smiled at me "Hello Annabella." he smiled down to Alice then, picking her up. "And, why, hello Alice! Aren't you growing tall!"

She giggled and smiled at him. "I'm a big girl!" she giggled again while she clapped.

Simultaneously, Angel and I spoke. "Yes, you are a big girl." We both smiled, looking toward each other locking eyes for the tiniest second before I looked away blushing. I had heard him chuckle but didn't look up to see the action. But, when I did finally look back to him, I caught him leaning down to kiss me. I knew I wanted this, though I knew I could not. A moment after our lips had met, I reluctantly pulled away placing and expression of shock and a hint of anger upon my face and took my daughter into my arms. "I am truly sorry if you have gotten a different idea, Mr. Mason. If you do recall I am a widow and this is what of a child would behave. Please forgive me." and with that, I placed my last few coins on the counter for the bread and left the store.

The streets were worse than on the way to the store. Screams filled the way along with the cries of mourning. I guessed a corpse was discovered. I dreamt this was over, only so I could allow my daughter to live a life normally. Tears welled up in her eyes. Even with my hands covering her ears the sound came to her. She hid her face inside my hair. My pace quickened, and I sung in her ear. An old song, about peace and love, I

sung.

Scarcely, was any ones heart beating anymore. Horror was our town, and no one wanted to be in it. Occasionally, you would be unfortunate enough to see through ones window them slicing their own throat from sorrow, or hear a gunshot from inside. Things have been changing for the worse recently. If it wasn't for my daughter, I'd be wishing for the same to happen to me. But I had to be strong for my child. I truly was surprised that Angel had survived this long. I had expected my old friend to have lost grasp of his life, along with everyone around me. But, somehow, he looked as if he held every ones lost health inside him. Had he returned from somewhere else, a healthier place?

I opened my front door and sat my daughter in a chair and kissed her head. "Want me to play you some music?" and as she nodded I played her a tune. She relaxed forgetting the outside world for a few minutes, until I stopped playing the music due to a knocking on the door. I opened the door only to find Angel standing there.

Chapter 2

"Annabella, I need to apologize. I'm only trying to help." he looked apologetic as I stared at him.

"Help? How do you expect to help me by kissing me? Angel, you know I was married. Please, just leave."

He shook his head, with a pleading look in his eyes. "Not exactly help only you, Annabella. I just know more than you." he shut up when he saw me glaring up at him.

"Pardon me? You know I wont tolerated being belittled! Angel, God so help me if you don't either leave this moment or explain yourself now." he saw the look I wanted to project to him, not just anger, but a bit of pain hidden beneath my words.

Angel sighed and looked down first and his hair fell over his face, hiding some of his beauty. This made it a little easier to be mad at him, though some how I felt much more hurt. He looked up at me and whispered "You will accuse me of being insane. Until you actually see." something told me that I knew he wasn't insane even though I had no idea what he was wanting to say, and I also knew he was most likely right to say I would say he was.

"Then show me, Angel." I spoke softly, as if he was so young and fragile and he would shatter if I was harsh. Something about the way he stayed silent told me that he was saying something inside his head, or viewing something over again in his head. Waiting patiently I watched him.

"If it was possible I would show you now. I would show you everything and why it is critical that you do what I'm saying. Trust me, Anna. Please, just promise me this, if a man that has sandy blond hair and green eyes speaks to you just walk away. Please I beg of you." The pleading was in his eyes again.

I shook my head, thinking he was as deranged as he promised he would sound. "Angel, you've gone mad. I am not supposed to speak to any sandy blonde and green eyed men? Do you comprehend how many people your asking me to be rude to? Angel, I'm sorry but no." I had begun to close the door again but he stopped the door with his foot.

"Only if they have a scar on their neck. Annabella you wouldn't be able to miss it, it reaches across from his left ear to almost his chest. Please, I am begging you. Things will restart again if that happens again."

I nodded once thinking he had gone completely mad. I seriously doubted I would ever come across the paths of a man to this description. It pained me to see my friend so distraught about something like this. And I did wonder what had made him imagine such things. "Angel what do you mean restart? What has come over you? This is not funny."

He shook his head at me sighing. "Annabella, I am not trying to amuse you. I know what will happen it all has happened many times because I have failed to convince you to stay away from him, Annabella. You repeatedly fall for him. He promises you what you wish to be true and We are forced to repeat this again."

I just stared at him, he confirmed that something had made him loose every piece of sanity he once held. "Angel, please explain this to me before I tell you to leave and never return to see me or my daughter."

He sighed once more and shook his head. "Its no use, there is not really a way to explain this to you. If you prefer I wont talk to you or Alice again until I see him. But please Annabella just do this for me."

I just watched him there for a minute, amazed at all this, amazed at how normal he once seemed. That all seemed to change then. "Angel, please tell me what's going on. Your scaring me." I let my last sentence come out in a whisper and the fear show through my eyes.

I saw the pain I was projecting to him stabbed him, just as a dull knife would- extremely painful. "One thing I could do would scare you, Annabella. I could show you exactly what he looks like, through my eyes and yours. Tell you the truth about the world. Tell you everything." he paused then looked down. "I'm afraid it would terrify you. That it would be to much for you to bare. If you understood what will soon to become, if it'd hurt your mental state."

I watched him, and let his words sink in. He thought he had proof to show me, and for some reason I believed him. For some strange reason I felt it was all true. It felt as if I knew no matter how bizarre this all sounded that I could trust he would never lie to me. The feeling was as if he was my safe place to go, the place where I knew no lies would ever be spoken and I knew my daughter and I would be safe. I wanted to know, but as he said there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to handle what it was. Whatever he knew, was more than I knew or could probably handle.

Wait, was I seriously going to believe this? At this point I've begun to think his madness has gotten to me, that everything he is speaking to me is true, when I should be believing that he needs special care from doctors.

But, some part of me told me that at least some part of what he was telling me was true, some part of him couldn't bare tell me a story of lies and tell me it was all true, knowing him that long I knew him plenty well enough to know he was not capable of being so cruel.

"Show me Angel, show me what you know. I'll find a way to deal with it. Please Angel if you can do so- show me. So I feel less insane for believing this." a pleading tone sunk into my voice and he looked up to meet my eyes.

"Never will you be insane, Anna. Never. And, I swear you that. You are strong, and if you had to you would simply block out everything and stay strong just for your daughter. I know you would never be weak enough to break down and become insane when you have your daughter to care for." sincerely he whispered this to me, giving me a bit more strength that I had forgotten I held.

I nodded and spoke again in only a whisper "Show me."

Angel let out a nearly silent sigh and spoke to me "I will. Tomorrow though. You need rest, and to tuck your daughter in. I promise I'll return tomorrow to show you." he kissed my forehead, not in a romantic way but a loving way, as if a brother would when you were young and fragile and it was his duty to protect me. He gave me a small smile and shut the door on himself, leaving me to stand there in the doorway, alone.

I couldn't help but feel alone when the door shut. Memory of the terror and death came to me once more. When his presence left me so did the comfort, the peaceful aura that he brought everywhere with him. The feeling that I now noticed I would long for when he was not with me. I would have to wait until the following day to see him, to feel comforted, and protected.

I stood in the doorway for a while just thinking our conversation over in my head so many times, trying to find the reason I believed this and felt the comfort I did around him even though he may have been a complete loon and be danger to Alice and I.

I turned after I had gave up on trying to understand everything that had happened today. My daughter laid on the couch falling asleep most likely listing to Angel and my conversation. She looked beautiful, and for once, healthy. A smile I felt form on my lips and I gently picked her up from the couch laying her in my lap. Even in sleep she was a beautiful miracle. My whole reason for existence then. The reason I fought so hard in life and tried my best. I held that in my arms then, and watched her sleep.


End file.
